Luxury Travel Agent Recommendations?

[Michaelandjulie]

Hi
Can anyone recommend a good agent who specialises in luxury holidays
We travel frequently overseas and like to stay in nice hotels

 

[Pushka]

Just wondering if a person can join AFF and ask a question and then under a different AFF name, answer their q with self promotion?

Just checked Linkdin, and it seems that has happened in this case.

Oh well, amaroo is happy though

 

[Drew]

Does anyone know if hotel bookings made via virtuoso are eligible for hotel rewards?

 

[amaroo]

Oh well, amaroo is happy though

Hmm, not sure what to make of this one

If you mean I've used the OP or anyone else in this thread as a Virtuoso agent ..... that would be a very wrong assumption.

 

[amaroo]

Does anyone know if hotel bookings made via virtuoso are eligible for hotel rewards?

Do you mean earning points / nights? If so, yes.

 

[Drew]

Do you mean earning points / nights? If so, yes.

Fantastic thanks for clarifying!

 

[Pushka]

Hmm, not sure what to make of this one

If you mean I've used the OP or anyone else in this thread as a Virtuoso agent ..... that would be a very wrong assumption.

Me either. I have no memory of what I meant!

 

[ronicat]

If using virtuoso to book four rooms at the same place for three nights, do you receive four times hotel credit as they are four stays or only one as it is one booking? I realise it is not one per night.

 

[ftm]

If using virtuoso to book four rooms at the same place for three nights, do you receive four times hotel credit as they are four stays or only one as it is one booking? I realise it is not one per night.

Yes, the amenities are per room, per stay. So each room would get the hotel credit.

 

[amaroo]

If using virtuoso to book four rooms at the same place for three nights, do you receive four times hotel credit as they are four stays or only one as it is one booking? I realise it is not one per night.

Correct. In my experience If you combine all the rooms into the one bill the credits will merge I.E you don’t have to visit the spa 4x to reap the US$400 benefit.

 

[amaroo]

Big tip! Not all Virtuoso agents are created the same.

Depending on what you are booking it would be better to find an agent that has access to additional benefits provided by each brand.

For example....

Rosewood Elite
Four Seasons Preferred Partner
Ritz Carlton Stars
Belmond Bellini Club
The Luxury Circle

 

[Pushka]

Big tip! Not all Virtuoso agents are the same.

Depending on what you are booking it would be better to find an agent that has a access to additional benefits provided by each brand.

For example....

Rosewood Elite
Four Seasons Preferred Partner
Ritz Carlton Stars
Belmond Bellini Club
The Luxury Circle

I know a Virtuoso Agent but am a little confused. What benefits exactly do they offer as when I’ve enquired it hasn’t actually worked out that well.

 

[amaroo]

I know a Virtuoso Agent but am a little confused. What benefits exactly do they offer as when I’ve enquired it hasn’t actually worked out that well.

Sometimes the price is less, same, or more compared to making the booking yourself..... these sum up the stock standard Virtuoso benefits (each property is different and can offer more or less)

# Breakfast - when traveling as a family with multi room bookings the benefits exceed status - breakfast for 3,4,5,6, etc
# Room credits - normally US$100 per room
# Upgrades - "maybe" on check-in
# Free coughtails sometimes in addition to the room credit
# Early/Late checkout - "maybe" on check-in
# Welcome gift

If you go with an agent that has additional benefits you can lock in the "maybe" benefits + some additional items depending on the hotel. For our recent Hong Kong stay (Rosewood Hotel) my Rosewood Elite agent was able to guarantee upgrades and late check-out at time of booking! We were booking two rooms and they secured an upgrade for us and a double upgrade for the kids worth many thousands of dollars - all at booking stage, all confirmed in writing, and all delivered in full. The suites we stayed in were amazing and as an upgrade it was sensational value.

We're using the same agent for an upcoming trip to Boston and NYC. We've gone with the Four Seasons for both cities purely based on the benefits and upgrades he could deliver. We had booked Crosby Street Hotel in NYC, but the value he was able to extract at FS Downtown was exceptional, so we cancelled and booked with him. For the Boston booking he beat another Virtuoso agent by US$600 for a 4 night stay plus getting us upgraded to a better suite.

Not all Virtuoso agents are created the same, and Virtuoso may not be a good fit for everyone.

 

[ronicat]

Thank you for the clarification